Sticky Notes
by Kiel95
Summary: Kudo Shinichi has returned, the Syndicate removed. He should be happy right? Well, he would be if his partner wasn't gone. Things get interesting when a red little sticky note catches his attention. One-shot ShinShi.


Shinichi woke up slowly and wondered where he was. His eyes were only cracked open slightly, and the dim light coming in from a window didn't give him much of a good look at the room he was in. After a good five minutes he remembered. He was home. He was grown. He was himself. He wasn't a child anymore.

Ai had given him the antidote a week before. There were of course the usual risks of taking it. 50/50 chance it'd work, with a possibility of death. He'd never taken the whole death thing seriously until he took the antidote. She was gone. Ai had died. Her body couldn't take the pill and with screams of pain she'd left his world.

He still couldn't believe it was true. It was now like nothing had happened. The organization was no longer part of his life, Ai was gone as if she never existed, and he was back to normal. He could go on with living his life… yet why? Why did he feel that something was wrong?

Sitting up, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and shambled over to the bathroom, grabbing a change of clothes while he went. He made sure to make them nicer than his usual school uniform. He was going to reintroduce himself to the world after his absence of two years.

After brushing his teeth, combing his hair, washing his face, and getting dressed, he headed down to the kitchen for breakfast.

It was strange. He wasn't used to waking up in a house all alone anymore. He hadn't realized how used to being Conan he'd been until now.

He was alone, once again, in the large house he'd lived in all his life until that fateful day.

Breakfast was simple. Rice and miso soup. He at least knew how to make that, but he realized how much he misses Ran's home cooked breakfast.

When he'd finished eating, he walked around the house. It was strange. So empty. He never remembered it being like that. Then he thought of something that would help him perk up. ~Kiel95

Ran. He should go see Ran. He would tell her everything, and she would understand. It was a foolproof plan to him. Everything would be fine. He'd be complete. He'd have the girl he always loved. He had always loved her…. Right?

He was internally conflicted. He didn't know anymore. Did he love her? His whole life had been turned upside down by being dragged into the whole organization problem. Were his emotions scrambled during that time too?

Instead of leaving the house he collapsed onto the couch. It was true it'd only been one week since he was back to normal, but why was he this confused? He shouldn't be confused. He'd thought of this day so many times he practically believed it would happen the way he thought no matter what. He never realized that his nerves would be displaced and his whole plan would go crumbling to the ground.

The tension was broken when there was a knock on the door.

It quite surprised him. No one knew he was home. Maybe it was the professor. Maybe it was something important.

Without further notice he pushed everything else to the back of his mind and answered the door.

No one was there.

He looked around.

Nothing.

"Probably a prank," he muttered. He knew his house was known as a haunted house since no one lived there anymore. It was probably believed that ding dong ditching the house was a brave thing to do.

As he was closing the door, something blood-red caught his eye.

A sticky-note was stuck on his door.

He looked at it in surprise and didn't even think to read it. He was too shocked.

It took him thirty seconds to finally process that it wasn't necessarily a complete prank since no one would leave a sticky-note without knowing that he was back.

Finally he pulled off the note and closed the door. With a scrutinizing eye he stared at the note and sat down in the living room, analyzing the four words on the page. ~Kiel95

_Will you find me?_

He studied it for quite some time before there was another knock on the door.

This time he bolted up and ran to the door and flung it open. He was too late. No one was there. There was another note.

He skeptically took hold of it and read it once again.

_Follow the red. You're the only one that can help. Please… help me._

Below the words was an arrow.

He raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction the arrow pointed.

Slowly he moved in that direction until his eye caught sight of something red. It was in the professor's yard and in one of the bushes. It had another arrow and another few words.

_Thank you. I'm glad you're willing to help. _

He followed the arrow and came to a large tree, a note stuck high in the leaves, but easily visible against the green background.

He placed the two sticky-notes he'd already acquired into his pocket and climbed. He'd already forgotten he was wearing nice clothes. In truth, he couldn't care less at the moment. His mind was distracted and he was grateful for that.

While sitting in the tree he looked at the next note. This time there were no words, just an arrow.

He continued on the path following the red.

After quite a long while he was still following the arrows and about to give up since there'd been nothing else said and it really could just be a joke.

That was when he came across a sticky-note with words.

_By now I imagine you're impatient and wondering why nothing else has been written. Well, rest assured, this is no prank. If you continue on it'd be much appreciated… you're almost there. This time though… this time, it might be hard to find the next note. It's hidden from view as the area it's in was heavily populated and I was worried someone would remove it. Good luck… and thank you. _

He sighed. The search would continue. Stuffing the sticky-note into his pocket, as he'd done for all the previous notes, he continued on in the direction he needed to go.

It was strange. He'd searched the crowded streets for an hour for the next note. Maybe he really was being fooled.

Ran, from the detective agency's window, noticed Shinichi wandering around the streets. At first she dropped the ladle in her hand, then she rubbed her eyes, and when he was still there, she threw off her apron in an angry and tearful fit and ran out onto the street towards him. ~Kiel95

"Shiniiiiiichiiiiiiii!" she yelled angrily.

He hadn't noticed her anger and brushed it off asking, "Ran… have you seen any red sticky-notes around here?"

Ran sniffed at his oblivious nature and yelled loudly in his ear, "You IDIOT!" and turned to run off.

He grabbed her wrist and asked sincerely and with a sorry voice, "Ran… please… have you seen any red sticky-notes around here? It's important for a case I'm on."

She calmed down slightly. She knew cases were his bread and butter. If she was going to get anywhere with him she had to help him first.

Thinking hard she recalled seeing a red sticky-note.

"Ah! That's it!" she said suddenly.

Shinichi's eyes brightened.

"A woman with tea-colored blonde hair asked if she could place the sticky-note under our doormat for someone who'd be coming by later!" she said as she hurried over to the doormat, retrieving the sticky-note and handing it to Shinichi. She never thought to read it.

Shinichi's heart was thumping rapidly. Tea-colored hair? He only knew of one girl with tea-colored hair.

His hands shook slightly as he read the letter.

_You must've met Ran to get this. Please come to Haido Central Park. I'll be on the hill staring up at the stars. I understand if you don't come, and if you don't, I'll disappear forever like I planned. If you plan on coming, then congratulations, you're getting closer._

Suddenly his body started to move, even if he himself had no clue what to choose. Before he knew it, he was running towards the park, Ran calling after him, and a heart beating furiously in his chest.

By the time he arrived it was pitch black.

He just had to get past a thicket of trees and he'd have reached the top of the hill. It was rough terrain and he tripped two or three times.

When he finally arrived at the edge of the small forest, he looked up at the hill.

His eyes widened at the view.

The moon was right above the hill, and standing on the hill looking up at the stars with clothes and hair blowing lightly in the wind, was the woman he thought was dead.

She didn't look down at him. She may not have even noticed him.

He took one slow step towards her, then another. With each step he seemed to gain the bravery to take the next step. Before he knew it… he was behind her.

Right before he had the chance to say anything, she said in a sweet and soft voice, "Hello Kudo-kun." Then she slowly turned to him with a melancholy smile.

He was shocked. She was alive.

"Thank you for coming," she continued. "I thought you wouldn't come, but since you did… I want to know… why?" She cocked her head to the side slightly and had a confused look on her face.

He licked his dry lips and said simply, "I don't know. I have no logical reason. My feet… my body… they took me here on their own. My brain had yet to think… but… I ended up here." ~Kiel95

Her eyes softened and she smiled slightly, "I'm glad." She took the last step to close the gap between them and they were within centimeters of each other. "Kudo-kun…" she said slowly as she leaned towards him slightly.

Again. His body did it to him again. Before he knew what he was doing, he had hugged her, and not only that, but he was kissing her as well. This action somehow brought a great sense of relief to him, to have her in his arms. To have the woman he thought was gone there with him; in a place he could hold her… kiss her, protect her.

As she pulled back she whispered, "I love you."

He smiled for the first time in a week and whispered, "I love you too, Miyano Shiho."

They were silent, just enjoying the warm embrace. She leaned gently toward his ear and whispered, "Nice outfit by the way. Are the tears a part of a fashion statement?"

He pulled back quizzically and looked down at his clothes which had once been in great condition, reduced to dirt and rips. He rolled his eyes and asked, "You had to throw that in there didn't you?"

She smirked, "Mmhmm. You know I did."

He sighed. Well, he had chosen her, knowing her personality well enough. He shrugged away the thoughts. He'd complain about her sarcasm and teasing later, instead, he leaned in for another kiss, electricity jolting through him when their lips touched. It felt right to be there, holding this woman in his arms. He could already tell that after having a taste of this woman was going to leave him longing for more, knowing that no one else could possibly be as perfect as her.


End file.
